I plan to go out Saturday morning. Possibility of rain though... I hate hunting in the rain, especially in frigid temps. Hopefully it will hold off. The deer don't move on my hunting property when it rains. Hope to fill a tag... if I do it will be the last hunt of the year for me. Have lots to do and probably be too busy to get back out in the woods. But if I don't fill the tag I will force myself to make time. Maybe muzzle loader season.

I agree about hunting in the rain too. I think last year it rained on opening day of gun in NE Ohio. I bought one of those umbrellas that hook up on a tree over your head. I was dry and my buddies were soaked. But I still dislike rain.Good luck Saturday.

I beat the rain... shot a nice doe that weighed in at 115 field dressed. It was a fun hunt this morning. Had a couple does sneak up behind me and we had a Mexican stand off for about 5 or 10 minutes. Never got a clear shot. Then a young 8 point buck came in front of me. Already filled my buck tag so I took a video of him for a minute. I was still shaking from the adrenaline rush with the two does so the video is too jumpy. Funny though I can hear two gun shots in the background of the video. There was a lot of shooting out there this morning. Then about 15 minutes later about 7 does came in over the hill in front of me where the buck came from. Waited for a couple to give me a good shot. I had my pick and waited for her to show me a broadside shot. Shot her in the heart at 45 yards! Didn't run but a few yards and down she went after she did a complete flip! I am done for the season. Have lots to do including moving over the next month. It has been a very productive deer season for me.

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Last edited by Ifishandhunt on Sat Dec 15, 2012 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Hi kids. I hope everyone is having a good time this weekend. I went out yesterday and it was busier (from what I could hear on adjacent property) than opening day for gun season. I had a group of four does come in about 10am, and it was a really iffy shot. But, JPH, I stopped them! I made the "waa" noise and they all held up and looked in my direction, but did not see me. They stood like that for several minutes. Enough time for me to raise my gun, consider it, decide no, raise again second guessing myself, and deciding no. This shot was pretty far for me having a new gun. Of course with today not working out, naturally I am looking back and wondering why I didn't give it a go! But, it's because as much as I want my first deer, I just can't be the person that makes a bad shot and maims a deer when I knew better. So they hung out a while, and I hoped they would come closer. They turned away from where they had been headed and went into the trees in front of me. I hoped they would make their way on the trail to me, but no go. Later a saw another group, but really too far, no question.

This morning, nothing. Still as can be, and I had to come back and not stay until evening.

But, I think I have formulated a tentative plan for next year. For another post, this is already long.

I know that you are second guessing that you didn't take the shot, but you absolutely did the right thing. Wounding a deer is a lousy feeling. If you hunt long enough, it will happen to you, but don't let it be a shot that you knew was not a good idea. Being able to pass on a shot that is iffy will make you a better hunter and conservationist. I'll take the memory of every deer that I was unable to recover to my grave. Try to keep that list short.